Garland Green (musician)

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For the film character Garland Greene, see Con Air.

Garland Green (born Garfield Green, June 14, 1942 in Dunleith, Mississippi) is an American soul singer and pianist. He was the tenth child of eleven born in his family, and lived in Mississippi until 1958 when he moved to Chicago. While working and attending school there, he sang on weekends, and one day when singing in a pool room, he was overheard by Argia Collins, a local restaurateur. Collins agreed to bankroll Green's attendance at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, where Green studied voice and piano, and played in local bars and clubs.

While performing in a talent show, Green met Mel Collins, whose wife, Joshie Jo Armstead, was a songwriter who had written tunes for Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. She arranged for Green to do a recording session in Detroit and released the result as a single on her label, Gamma Records. It sold well locally and was picked up by MCA Records subsidiary Revue Records for national distribution. Revue released three further singles from Green and then moved to another MCA subsidiary, Uni Records. In 1969 he released "Jealous Kind of Fella", which was a major national success; Uni released a full-length LP from Green, but the follow-up single did not sell well, and Green left MCA to sign with Atlantic Records subsidiary Cotillion Records. Cotillion released five singles from Garland, including "Plain and Simple Girl", but Cotillion never released a full album of Green's.

Moving on to Spring Records, Green recorded a few more sides, which charted modestly, and then signed to RCA Records, who released three further singles produced by Leon Haywood and a full LP. Following this, Green quit recording for almost seven years, signing with Ocean Front Records for an album produced by Lamont Dozier and Arlene Schesel, Ocean Front's A&R rep (whom Green would then marry). Green continued to record and self-release thereafter.

[edit] Charting singles

  • "Jealous Kind of Fella" (1969) US Pop Singles #20, Black Singles #5
  • "Don't Think that I'm a Violent Guy" (1970) Black Singles #42
  • "Plain and Simple Girl" (1973?) Black Singles #17
  • "Let the Good Times Roll" (1974) Black Singles #65

[edit] References